Secretary Mattis seeks ties with once-brutal Indonesia special forces unit, with an eye on China | The Washington Post

Defense Secretary Jim Mattis is pushing to reestablish contact with Indonesia’s premier counterterror force, he said Tuesday, decades after it was barred from working closely with U.S. forces because of human-rights abuses.

Mattis told reporters a major component of discussion with Indonesian Defense Minister Ryamizard Ryacudu is broadening education and training with counterterror units in the country, including the special operations group known as Kopassus.

“We’re going to go down and let ourselves be guided by the facts on the ground,” Mattis said, referring to the State Department process known as “Leahy vetting” that clears foreign troops and units receiving U.S. assistance like training and equipment.